October 20, 2010

It would be difficult not to say a word about Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition - coming straightfrom Basel andcelebrating the fiftiethanniversary of theartist's birth - which 'irradiates' fromthe Paris Modern Art Museum with its unusual huge scale show.Comprising a hundred major pieces – paintings, drawings, objects, from numerous museumsand private collections, this retrospective offers a chronological overview on Basquiat evolutionduring his meteoriccareer from the streetto the canvasand the chance to assess the painter'scontribution to art and art history. Born in Brooklyn in 1960, Basquiat died due to a heroin overdose in New York in 1988.He was only 27 years old.In 1984, the Modern Art Museum had already featured Jean-Michel Basquiat alongside withRobert Combas, Hervé Di Rosa and Keith Haring in a collective exhibition on France/USAFree Figurative work.

[IsTaRaI]"Centered on a rare interview that director and friend Tamra Davis shot with Basquiat over twenty years ago,This definitive documentary chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of the young artist.""Tamra Davis details the mysteries that surround this charismatic young man, an artist of enormous talentwhose fortunes mirrored the rollercoaster quality of the downtown scene he seemed to embody."-"Jean-Michel Basquiat, the Radiant Child" [wiki].

* The movie will be screened at the Museum on Thursday, October 28 at 7 pm.

[Intergalaxy]Jean-Michel Basquiat: his friends and his paintings - Music by Velvet Underground, "Heroin".___

October 22 update...The queue at the entrance of the museum was still reasonable around noon, under a perfectblue sky. Two hours later, it had probably reached some 150 or 200 meters, but thanks to such a weather, nobody seemed upset.One word on the exhibition: Go! it is absolutely dazzling!___